While digital impressions can be powerful and effective in marketing, there is still a unique value to special moments experienced in real life that cannot be replicated digitally. When customers experience a special moment, such as attending an event or interacting with your organization in person, they are more likely to form a strong emotional connection with the brand. This emotional connection can lead to greater brand loyalty and advocacy, as customers are more likely to remember and share their positive experiences with others.

Studies show that in-person interactions boost moods and have a greater impact on well-being than digital interaction. 

With this data, we know that special moments experienced in real life can provide unique opportunities for brands to create memorable and shareable content. Vers saw an incredible opportunity for one of our clients to create this type of special moment at the largest trade show in their industry. 

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WHY DO A TRADE SHOW?

Trade shows provide an excellent opportunity for brands to showcase their products or services to potential customers, partners, and investors. These events are usually industry-specific and are attended by professionals looking to learn about new products, technologies, and trends. Trade shows are essential to companies because they offer a unique opportunity to connect face-to-face with potential customers, generate leads, and increase brand visibility. Overall, trade shows are an effective way for companies to boost their marketing efforts, network with industry peers, and drive business growth.

Our client, HERD, a leader in the North American transportation industry, had been doing the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) for years but wanted to bring something fresh to the 58,000 people in attendance.

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HOW DO YOU STAND OUT AT A TRADE SHOW?

At Vers, it’s our job to solve complex issues for global brands. We partnered with HERD to help tackle a problem at the largest trade show in their industry: 

PROBLEM‍

With over 850 exhibitors in the hall, how do you stand out from the crowd and gain valuable leads, all while staying within a budget and showing a positive return on investment?

SOLUTION

Our solution? Vers guided HERD in creating the most engaging and memorable booth at the entire trade show. This year’s booth had (mostly) the same elements as last year - the same logo, the same trailer, etc. We didn’t set out to spend a bunch of money on an overblown booth display… 

We set out to build the brand a fan base through humorous and memorable experiences. 

At the end of the day, you HAVE to do something that will make a fan rave, not just share information with an audience.

To do this, we created a strategic process to generate leads at the convention to garner a larger ROI. 

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Large high-contrast signage w/massive HERD logo increased brand awareness and reinforced truck guard market dominance. 

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Booth activation that prompted those at the show to stop and stare—like a deer in headlights.

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Sought out strategic marketing partnerships with industry leaders that resulted in further exposure beyond the HERD audience.

Developed brand awareness initiatives such as a geo-targeted ad campaign and killer on-brand swag that placed HERD in the minds of those who attended, even after the convention was over.

The reality is that the impact of an in-person impression is very difficult to quantify and if you’ve been a leader in the marketing side of your business for a while, you are probably familiar with formulas such as the Ad Value Equivalency (AVE) that try to calculate this value. Unfortunately, these types of formulas have been found as flawed, and unreliable vanity metrics that fall short in quantifying the value of a marketing effort. Instead, we look at other metrics. Our trade show efforts for HERD resulted in the following:

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These numbers are secondary to the enormous benefits that will play out in the future for HERD, including new business relationships, a growing, loyal fan base, and collaborative marketing opportunities from others in the industry.

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Hire us to make fans out of your audience at in-person events.

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